~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~ July 31, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote: “Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?” “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real? Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows-Part 2

Rabbit Rabbit:

Today is the last day of the July and you know what that means don’t you? It’s time to prepare for the first of the month and all that can be yours by simple saying ”rabbit, rabbit!” The first words out of your mouth on the first day of August must be “rabbit, rabbit.”

★~ Mutts Day:

The word mutt is used to describe a dog that comes from a mix of two or more different dog breeds. Rather than creating a celebration for one type of dog over another type of dog, let’s just celebrate our own unique, special pups that have value far beyond their breeding (whatever that might be!). May I suggest a Dog Pedicure for your precious fur? After all nail art isn’t just for humans! Really!

★~ Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day:

Have you ever heard of a wakrapuku, a Javanese bonang or a kaval? As long as there has been music, there have been people creating new, unique, and sometimes just plain odd ways to create sound. I had no idea there were so many strange instruments out there! The mountain dulcimer (video above) is a type of stringed instrument that was common during the 1700s in the mountainous southern United States.

★~ Jump for Jelly Beans Day

Candy-lovers everywhere please stop what ever you are doing and jump for joy and show your appreciation for jelly beans. These tiny candies evolved from an ancient confection called “Turkish delight,” which was one of the earliest forms of hard candy. Our modern-day jelly beans gained popularity during the American Civil War. A candy company in Boston began marketing jelly beans as the perfect treat to send to soldiers, and soon everyone was hooked. One of the most famous jelly bean fans is President Ronald Reagan. He served them at his inauguration! Do you remember a famous novel where a certain character was enchanted by Turkish delight?

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1928 – MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM’s first talking picture, White Shadows on the South Seas. Leo’s dialogue was more extensive than the film’s, whose only spoken word was, “Hello.

♥~ 1955 –Marilyn Bell of Toronto, Canada, at age 17, became the youngest person to swim the English Channel.

♥~ 1971 – The first men to ride in a vehicle on the moon did so on this day in the LRV (lunar rover vehicle). This example of a lunar dune buggy carried Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin for five miles on the lunar surface. Their first stop at the rim of Elbow Crater was televised back to Earth to millions of viewers. The moon ride lasted two hours and the astronauts were heard to exclaim, “There’s some beautiful geology out there!”

♥~ 1985 – Prince was big at the box office with the autobiographical story of the Minneapolis rock star, Purple Rain. The flick grossed $7.7 million in its first three days of release on 917 movie screens. The album of the same name was the top LP in the U.S., as well

♥~ 1965 –J.K. Rowlingauthor: Harry Potter novels, films. Today is also considered Harry Potter’s (fictional characters) birthday. as recorded in the novels.

♥~ 1979 – B.J. Novak, Actor, writer: The Office”

★~ Did You Know: Behind many great Olympic Athletes is a dog!

Photo Credit: Courtesy Michael Phelps

♥~Michael Phelps has two dogs, Herman and Stella. Phelps and Stella were drawn to one another under circumstances unique to celebrities: when both were guests on theToday show. Phelps came into the studios to discuss his training regime, but was smitten with the shelter pup (then named Penelope) who was appearing on the show’s “Bow to Wow” segment. The two went for a walk and the rest is history. Click here for video of Michael and Herman

♥~ Abby Wambach might be a star on the soccer field, but her English bulldog Kingston is a whiz on a skateboard. Even though Kingston has been praised for his special hobby, Wambach admitted that he might be more interested in chewing his skateboard than actually riding it.

♥~ Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte named his Doberman Carter after Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. — more commonly known as Lil’ Wayne. He frequently talks about his pup on Twitter, with sweet tweets like, “Carter decided to sleep under the covers between my legs . . . He misses daddy.”

♥~ Gymnastic Jordyn Wieber and her half Shih Tzu, half Yorkie mix Lucy are constantly on the move, Jordyn is known for her stoic demeanor, while the athlete describes her pup as “crazy.” Wieber admitted, “She has a crazy personality. You’ll always catch her running around our house. She loves going for walks and she’s just a really hyper dog.”

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Cole and his building partner Pat took Ryan (my cousin’s 12-year-old son who is visiting us) with them to finish their fence job today for a family friend. They packed a cooler with water, Coke, chocolate chip cookies and some chips; let’s just pretend they will find a sandwich or hot dog around lunchtime.

I am really working on not being a helicopter mom, but when a sizable investment has been made in materials you cannot help but worry. Last night, when Ryan told me Cole was talking to “someone about the fence” around 8 p.m., my heart sank…only to discover “someone” was another potential customer.

Our friend let me know today that everything looks great and her expectations are being met. Moms get it. Dads tell you not to worry, but a mom cuts to the chase and says the fence is solid, standing, and she’s happy with the work so far. I really appreciate the fact that she trusted the teens with the job and they are living up to her expectations so far.

Sigh…All I can say is I am glad I am not in London watching Cole in an Olympic event, because I’m pretty sure this is how I would look…

and while we are looking at video’s here is one that is bound to make you feel good.

Share this:

Can’t you just feel the workout Aly’s parents are getting when their daughter competes? I like jelly beans (just not the licorice ones!), and I love the stories of the Olympic athletes and their doggies. Good for Cole — getting some practical experience there; good for you — learning when not to hover. As our boys mature, they insist on having a looser leash!Debbie recently posted…Mom Does Not Equal Martyr

I could feel the workout. Watching has to be so hard. I think Michael Phillps mom watches well but she’s had a lot of experience!

Mike

Lost power last night and over slept for the first time in about 20 years. Raced out the door and then remembered on the way to work that I had forgotten my El Morno stop which these days is as routine as brushing my teeth.
Oh well I probably needed a little shake up and I can’t say I mind missing Jelly beans. Beckham is a class act, tho.

Ryan is cute and has good taste in dogs…couldn’t want much more! I’m still in shock over the black jelly beans. . .you think you know someone and then they throw a black jelly bean at you.

Carol Smith

Marcie, I also love the Black jelly beans. I could only get them at Easter here a few years ago, so I would go through 3/4 bags before i couldn’t find anymore. Now thank heavens I can buy them year round at Farm & Fleet. I won’t buy a bag that has colored ones either. As for “mutts”, they have been some of my most devoted and loveable dogs. I don’t care if they are high bred, love them all anyway. I’m finding that Miss Millie (purebred Cairn ) is rather a snooty little bitch. Just will not tolerate any other dog and prefer the neighbors cat “Bootsie”.